Holly Randall Writes on The Changing Adult Industry

The past couple of years in the adult industry have been interesting. Though I only started working in this business 13 years ago, due to having grown up with parents who have been in it since before I was born, I’ve been a party to seeing the amazing changes that have occurred over the last decade, and none so fast as when the internet was introduced.

At the beginning, the advent of the world wide web seemed a blessing. Especially for my parents, who put Suze.net online in 1998, and did incredibly well as one of the first major online adult photography sites. But things soon got crowded– coupled with the introduction of a consumer level digital video camera, the internet allowed almost anybody to start shooting and create a website. You didn’t need an expensive broadcast quality camera, you didn’t need a DVD distributor or contacts at magazine publications– you could do it all on your own. And thus the gold rush began.

What was once a small, intimate industry suddenly blew up into a behemoth of too many studios producing too much crap. The internet allowed the average porn consumer to discreetly access any manner of material, and thus hardcore porn got really hardcore. Studios were producing low quality, really ridiculous porn that was more of a contest as to who could come up with the most offensive scenes or who could stick how many dicks in each hole. It almost became like the "Porn Olympics"– how far can you go? I began to wonder if there was a market for the glamorous porn anymore. Did I fit into the future of adult entertainment?

Now the pendulum seems to be swinging the other way. A new market for artsy, beautifully shot porn is emerging. Cinematic intros, romantic, intimate couplings. Videos you’d watch with your wife or girlfriend, dare I say even "female friendly" porn. New sites such as X-Art, SexArt, and Babes are garnering plenty of attention and signups, while on the flip side there seems to be a culling of the herd going on. Studios are going out of business, people are losing their jobs. Of course that’s sad news, but it was inevitable. The porn industry got too big for itself, and now it’s slowly deflating.

People complain about piracy, and nobody will contest that this is a problem, but I think the current trend with these new sites (and the established ones that have stood the test of time) prove that people will pay for product if it is something they believe in. If you like to watch adult entertainment on a regular basis, you don’t really want to spend all your time going through all the low quality videos on tube sites, or searching through torrent sites looking for something you like. If there is a site that produces quality content that on a regular basis, one is more likely to pay for it. There are always people who won’t want to pay for porn, the trick is to appeal to, and keep satisfied, those who will.

The bar has definitely been raised. I find myself now competing with some seriously talented artists out there, which just makes me work harder. I started off as a photographer, but I am working very hard to hone my video skills. Every day I think I improve, but I still feel like I have a long way to go. But I’m getting there!

People say this is a scary time, but I think it’s an exciting time. With the quality of product this new era is producing, I’ve never been more proud to be a part of the adult industry. Yet competition is tough and it’s only going to get tougher. The standard has been raised– it’s a whole new game out there. Fortunately for me, I like to play. 😉